As our summer camp program comes to an end, we'd like to share some of the exciting things we did. From paddle boarding to soldering lights - we had a busy summer!
Daily Hour of Literacy
During summer camp GSGBC partnered with Turn the Page STL - St. Louis’ Chapter of the National Campaign for Grade Level Reading. Their literacy initiative is dedicated to increase the number of children that are reading proficiently by the end of third grade.
GSGBC Learning Specialists visited each summer camp group Monday through Thursday to facilitate the Daily Hour of Literacy. Members spent fifteen minutes on each of the following activities: listening to read-alouds, independent reading, writing, and literacy games. The Daily Hour of Literacy supports GSGBC's core competencies of Academics and Visual & Performing Arts.
Academic Coordinator Ms. Mary developed S.T.E.A.M. Explorations related to each week's Hour of Literacy topic, theme, or reading selections. Members extended their experiences by engaging in hands-on learning. Activities included creating container pollinator gardens, story quilts based on Faith Ringgold's Tar Beach, and self-portraits in the style of Kehinde Wiley. Members' creations are displayed throughout the campus so they can showcase their work and remain connected to their summer learning.
Our members had a special experience when author Aja La'Starr Owens, author of "Rock What You Got" visited Dutchtown and Soulard for a special reading and book signing.
Swimming Lessons
Swimming and water safety are vital and life-saving skills. Youth who attend GSGBC take on-site swim classes to be proficient in treading water, floating, and basic strokes. They also learn the importance of life jackets. It's important to GSGBC that our youth learn water safety and enjoy swimming to support our core competencies of Athletics and Healthy Living and to open the door to recreational opportunities outside of the Club, on rivers and lakes, and in community swimming pools.
On the last week of camp, our swimmers were treated a field trip to Maplewood's Aquatic Center to have a fun day with the water slides, diving board and lazy river!
Paddle Boarding
This summer, select GSGBC members were offered a chance to learn a brand-new outdoor recreational skill: paddle boarding! Each Monday in June, members visited the Boathouse at Forest Park to participate in paddle boarding lessons on the Post-Dispatch Lake. River City Outdoors (RCO) provided paddle boarding instruction and Big Muddy Adventures provided all necessary equipment, including personal floatation devices (PFDs) for each member.
RCO, whose mission is to connect urban youth to outdoor recreation in their community, provides ongoing support for Club activities. As a Thrive Outside organization, RCO strives to build a vibrant outdoor culture and brand in the Greater St. Louis region. This supports GSGBC's core competencies of Healthy Living.
Check out Fox2 New's reporting on our Paddle Boarding lessons!
Golf Camp
The Golf Foundation of Missouri facilitates Summer Golf Camp at The Highlands Golf & Tennis Club at Forest Park for our members. For six weeks each summer, GSGBC members participate in two-hour golf camp sessions Monday through Thursday. A promising athlete from each Club is awarded a set of golf clubs of their own.
This fun summer activity impacts city youth who otherwise may have never touched a golf club. GFM brings together diverse youth from across St. Louis City and County, breaking down social and economic stereotypes through one common activity, the beautiful game of golf. Professional PGA instructors introduce golf swings and shots, and lessons on golf rules, strategy, and etiquette reinforce not only golf skills but also life skills.
St. Louis BWorks
STL BWorks Earn-A-Bike is a free, hands-on class that teaches basic bicycle maintenance and safety while fostering important life skills including communication, teamwork and responsibility to children who can already ride a bike. After completing a consecutive series of six (two-hour) classes, participants earn a refurbished bicycle and brand-new helmet, light set and lock.
Each Monday, GSGBC Soulard members walk to St. Louis BWorks (0.1 miles from the Club) to participate in the class.
Graduation day - the final class - includes a graduation ride, after which members take home their newly earned bikes! Members must attend all six consecutive classes to earn their bike.
Tennis & Reading Camp
Breakpoint Tennis & Life Skills Academy coaches facilitate Tennis & Reading Camp for GSGBC members at Dwight Davis Tennis Center at Forest Park. The two-hour sessions on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday feature curriculum focused on developing life skills, athletic skills, and tennis skills while promoting enjoyment of reading, keeping minds and bodies active. Literacy activities are provided in partnership with the 9 PBS series Drawn In.
For some members, this is their third summer working with Breakpoint, and others also attend tennis clinics during the GSGBC Afterschool Program. This gives members an opportunity unique to GSGBC. This partnership supports GSGBC's core competencies of Athletics (tennis lessons), Character Building (life skills), Healthy Living (outdoor recreation) and Academics (literacy).
Soldering Clinic
In Project Make IT's Soldering Clinic, after a safety lesson and some practice, members get to solder their very own blinking badge to take home.
Project Make IT sponsored a field trip to Swing-A-Round Fun Town for members to play mini-golf and to observe mini-golf course design elements. This is to promote interest in GSGBC's annual participation in the Project Make IT Competition in March. At the competition, teams will use cardboard to construct functioning mini-golf holes. A microcontroller and foundations of coding and robotics will be employed to incorporate moving parts.
Partnership with Project Make IT supports GSGBC's core competencies of Academic Enrichment, Visual & Performing Arts, Character Building, and College & Career Readiness.
Special Events!
The Greater St. Louis Area Scouting Council for Scouting invited GSGBC members from both Soulard and Dutchtown Campuses to attend Grizzly Day Camp at Beaumont Scout Reservation for the last week of summer camp. The theme for the week was Animal Planet Safari. Activities included sports, swimming, hands-on nature activities, and a trip to MUD CAVE! Members designed their own animal costumes to show off at camp. The Scouts provided transportation for sixty members from GSGBC to Beaumont every day, as well as waiving camp fees for all participants.
GSGBC Dutchtown members visited GSGBC Soulard Campus to join Soulard summer camp members in a heated basketball competition against GSGBC staff. Members from both campuses joined together to cheer on their friends and siblings. This annual event creates community between GSGBC Soulard and Dutchtown campuses, both for members and staff, promoting camaraderie and inclusion in the GSGBC community. GSGBC staff did not go easy on members. The final score was 56-30, but the members played hard and had fun and the cheering section was spirited. The basketball game promotes GSGBC's core competencies of Athletics and Character Building.
Nine brave members of GSGBC Soulard closed out the first week of summer camp with a Big Muddy Adventure! Through the generosity of River City Outdoors, Mr. Jamal, Ms. Betsy and members floated 9.5 miles from just south of the Chain of Rocks Bridge to the levee in front of The Gateway Arch, stopping for lunch on the riverbank and a swim in the mighty Mississippi River. BMA staff taught paddling techniques and water safety lessons, including maintaining balance in a canoe to avoid tipping.
Snapshots from the Club!
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed.
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